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critical role in HIV prevention by helping people to cope with the disease and avoid unknowingly infecting others, but fewer than 10% of people in Africa know their HIV status. In 2005, 13% of those tested were found to be HIV positive though half of those said they felt they were not at risk for being infected. But even though they now know their status treatment costs approximately US$30 a year per infected person, but spending is less than US$10 a year per person in most African countries.

There has been some progress in the battle against AIDS in Africa. Botswana, Ethiopia, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia have all eliminated user fees for HIV treatment. The demand for HIV testing increased by over 10 times when treatment became available in one area of South Africa. By June 2006, the number of patients on antiretroviral therapy in Africa increased ten-fold from the end of 2003. In developed countries, the availability of treatment has contributed to a 70% reduction of AIDS deaths and in Brazil, where treatment is widely available, life expectancy for HIV positive patients has increased by about 5 years. It has been reported that the there is a stabilizing trend in the majority of Africa for the number of new infections and AIDS deaths, though in several countries, including South Africa, the epidemic shows no signs of stopping.

I thank the following for the statistics:
World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.org
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 2006 AIDS Epidemic update
Avert.org

Learn more about this author, Alicia M Prater PhD.
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